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Mexico gambling regulator SEGOB has pushed back against a Reforma report that claimed 20 casino licences were authorised to a company linked to detained former Tabasco security official Hernán Bermúdez Requena.
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Reforma placed the story on its front cover Monday, reporting that 20 casino licences had been approved for Compañía Operadora Clíe, a company linked to Hernán Bermúdez Requena. The newspaper tied the approvals to the final year of Andrés Manuel López Obrador as president of Mexico.
Bermúdez Requena, formerly Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection in Tabasco, is detained in Mexico and faces criminal charges. Authorities have accused him of leading La Barredora, described as an operational arm of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
SEGOB rejected the central claim in a statement on its website. The national gambling regulator said the licences were not freely authorised by the government, but granted after a court order from the Metropolitan Regional Chamber of Administrative Justice to Clie SA de CV.
The regulator also said the 20 licences had not led to active casino operations. It added that Centenario and Diamante casinos, along with the CrownCityBets website, have had their licences suspended since the court order.
SEGOB also challenged how Reforma framed the licence structure. According to the regulator, the 20 licences were operated under permits assigned to separate entities, not Clie SA de CV, which conflicts with the newspaper report.
Reforma cited an investigation from Mexicans and Corruptions and Impunity, also known as MCCI. The non-profit group works on corruption issues across Mexico in both public and private sectors.
AIEJA, the Association of Licence Holders, Operators and Suppliers of the Entertainment and Gaming Industry in Mexico, backed the regulator and said it offered “respectful support” for the position of SEGOB and the clarifications from Alcalde.
“In this regard, AIEJA considers it essential that information related to permits, authorisations, establishments and operations in the sector be treated with objectivity, truthfulness and strict adherence to documented facts.
“Based on this premise, the association calls for responsible and accurate public discourse on issues related to this industry, in order to preserve the legal certainty of a formally regulated sector subject to ongoing supervision.”
The dispute now centers on whether Reforma accurately described how the permits were granted, who controls them, and whether the casinos linked in the report are active.